Week 4 Day 1 Flashcards
blunder
a careless and stupid mistake (the last-minute blunder cost them the match) (Despite De Gea’s last-minute blunder, all his teammates backed him after the disappointment of losing to Sunderland which resulted in failing reaching the Capital One Cup final.)
spank
to hit specially a child on their bottom with your open hand, as punishment, smack (I can remember when I was a child, my dad spanked me on my bottom whenever I threw a tantrum.)
roam
to walk or travel without no purpose, wander (Chicken and geese roam freely in the back yard.) (These days people like to roam the streets in the evening in order to spend time and free themselves from daily tensions they get at work.)
chicken out
we say it when somebody fails to do something or don’t want to do something because they’re afraid or we can say decide not to do something at the last moment that you wanted to do because you’re afraid (Are you absolutely sure you want to go bungee jumping with me? I don’t want you to chicken out at the last minute.) (My friends were due to go mountain climbing but at the end they all chickened out because of heavy rain and bad weather.)
no spring chicken
it means sb is not young - used humorously (I don’t go partying every night anymore. I’m no spring chicken and I need to have good night’s sleep.) (As people grow older their habits change from those they used to have during their teenage years because they’re no spring chickens anymore.)
bird of prey
an animal or bird which lives by killing and eating other animals (There was a long-eared owl at a display of birds of prey in London.)
wise old owl
when we say sb is wise old owl we mean they’re very experienced in life (My English teacher was a very wise old owl. He told me don’t ever give up and be determined to reach your goals.) (It’s essential to look up to people who are wise old owl in order to learn from their experiences in life and try to apply them in our situations.)
a night owl
sb who stays up late into the night (My friend is a night owl. He always goes to bed in the middle of the night or even early in the morning.)
solitary (n)
sb who lives completely alone or solitary confinement (Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in solitary confinement before becoming a free person in 1990.) (Long-eared owls spent most of the year as a solitary species. While in winter they stay together in groups of up to 200. The visible parts of their ear is merely decorative and they have no purpose.)
crayon
a stick of coloured wax or chalk that children use to draw paintings (In the picture you can see a child’s crayon drawing from a primary school.)
child’s play
when sth is very easy to do (I finished the test very quickly. It was a child’s play.) (Stop trying to fix the car and call a professional mechanic to do it. It’s not a child’s play.) (This advanced course that I’m studying currently needs huge amount of work. It’s not child’s play anymore.)
a poster child (for sth)
to be a perfect example of something (He went from a poor immigrant to a powerful businessman in a decade. He’s a poster boy for “American dream”.) (Steve Jobs is a perfect poster man for diligent businessman. He went from a sacked employee to one of the most successful imaginative persons in the field of computer industry.)
tyranny
unfair or cruel control over people or something (Wawrinka ended Djokovich’s three-year tyranny at the Australian Open with an emphatic five sets thriller on Tuesday night.) (I suppose Manchester United has been under Glazer’s tyranny in the last few years and I wish they would leave the club and give the management of the club to the right people.)
play out of your skin (idiom)
it means you give an outstanding performance (Wawrinka played out of his skin to cause a big upset in the Australian Open and make himself known to tennis fans across the world.)
leave sb/sth out
to not include sb or sth (She outlined the case to him, being careful not to leave anything out.) (Although I’m going to start a new partnership with two of my friends, we need to consider all the aspects in order not to leave out anything so as to avoid future problems in our business.)
